Category Archives: Ask Sponsor Services

A sponsored child in the Philippines writes a letter to her sponsor in Tagalog. The letter is then translated into English.

As an international organization, it’s no surprise Unbound comprises diverse communities speaking numerous languages. While countries we work in might share an official language, such as Spanish, it may not be the first language of many of the residents.

There are hundreds of languages spoken across the Unbound community. From Kaqchikel in Guatemala to Tagalog in the Philippines, languages represent the unique cultures that are part of Unbound.

Sponsored member Vaishnavi (center) in Hyderabad, India, celebrates the holiday spirit with her parents.

At Christmas, many people give charitably in honor of a loved one instead of giving traditional Christmas gifts. For a family member who doesn’t want more stuff, or a friend who loves the idea of sponsorship but is unsure about the financial commitment, giving the gift of sponsorship is a beautiful way to celebrate.

The personal connection between a sponsor and sponsored friend is among the best outcomes of Unbound’s sponsorship program. The relationship can have a huge impact on both the sponsor and the sponsored friend.

Jacqueline Castiblanco Suarez, who was sponsored through Unbound from the time she was a young girl until she began a career in social work, established such a relationship with her sponsor, Janice from Kansas.

“The truth is that my sponsor Janice’s letters filled me with joy,” Jacqueline said. “The first time that I received a letter, I felt that I was important for someone.”

Claudia Stapley is a child move coordinator for Unbound and has been with Unbound for 10 years. When a sponsored member sends in a farewell letter, her team is in charge of processing the letter and contacting the sponsor to let them know their friend is leaving the program. For some this can be an emotional time, and Claudia and her team are there to offer care and understanding.

I’ve been writing to Gemmil in the Philippines since 2010. It’s exciting to hear from him and learn what’s happening in his family. His mom just had a baby this year, plus Gemmil’s in college studying to work on a ship and he tells me about the things he learns, like celestial navigation.

Even with all this excitement, there’s a little pit in my stomach because I know that soon — probably very soon — I’m going to receive a letter telling me that Gemmil is leaving the sponsorship program. I’m so happy for him to be graduating and starting to work. He’ll be able to help his parents and siblings and one day his own family, but I’m also a little sad that our relationship will come to a close.

A. Gifts sent in packages may incur high custom fees or get lost or stolen in the mail. Because of this high cost and risk, our international offices will no longer accept packages. Instead of sending a package, even a small one, try sending a letter instead.

The gifts of letters and photos are treasured most by your sponsored friend. Children and elders often say getting a letter from their sponsor is their favorite part of sponsorship.

You can easily send a quick note from our website. Just sign in and you can send your friend an eLetter and even upload a photo without having to set foot inside the post office.

Families living in poverty often find it difficult to afford the expense of celebrating birthdays and Christmas with gifts and parties. Donations to the birthday and Christmas funds help Unbound sponsored friends celebrate these special occasions.

The local staffs plan community-wide celebrations, which often include the entire family. Sponsored children and aging friends know the celebrations and gifts are from their sponsors.

Please keep in mind that some cultures do not celebrate birthdays and Christmas as we do. Unbound projects ensure that gifts and celebrations are appropriate for the culture.

And remember, what your friend needs most is your friendship and encouragement.

Thank you, and happy writing!

Contact our Sponsor Services team at (800) 875-6564 or mail@unbound.org for more information.

Our Sponsor Services department often gets questions from sponsors and donors about what they can do online. Can I pay for my sponsorship, can I write to my sponsored friend, can I update my credit card/address/other information?

On Unbound.org our supporters can do all of those things, and more; you just need to register.

Go to unbound.org/register. You’ll need three pieces of information to set up your account: your member ID, your name exactly as it appears on your Unbound address label and your ZIP code.

A: One of the most common requests heard in Sponsor Services is for more mailing labels.

Sponsors may know they can contact Sponsor Services to request more labels, but what many don’t know is that we can email the mailing labels as well.

Sending the mailing labels by email has a number of benefits. Aside from being much faster than regular mail (almost instantaneous), using email helps reduce the amount of paper being used and is a more eco-friendly choice. It’s also more cost-effective, as it saves postage and material costs. You can also save the email and reuse the mailing information whenever you write your sponsored friend.

Contact our Sponsor Services team at (800) 875-6564 or mail@unbound.org to request mailing labels by email.

We recently updated our stationery and you may have seen a new envelope arrive in your mailbox.

If you haven’t seen it, you may want to check your mail. Some of our sponsors don’t recognize this stationery, and haven’t responded to some of the mailings we’ve sent them. In fact, our Sponsor Services team made more than 2,000 calls last month to let our sponsors know about our new envelope.

In case you don’t recognize this new design, keep an eye on your mailbox. You should see it soon!

For the past 18 months or so, Steve Taylor of Virginia and his sponsored friend, Nathasha from India, have exchanged countless letters. In a previous blog post, Steve and Nathasha expressed how they feel like family, even though they had never met.

Well, they still feel like family, but they can finally say they have met one another!